


Makoto's Other Friend

by dementxa



Category: Free!
Genre: Eventual Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-05-07 17:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5464679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementxa/pseuds/dementxa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Haru and Makoto studying in Tokyo, Haru can only think of how to have Makoto all to himself. And then Makoto reunites with another childhood friend of his ...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> Please be gentle, this is my very first MakoHaru fic. I'd love some reviews and/or criticisms.

“ **Station XX.** ”

The doors opened smoothly and Haru, guided by the masses of people that were unloading from the train car, stepped out. With one hand in his pocket and another hanging loosely by his side, he made his way to the station’s exit. He had his gaze on the ground, but he didn’t need to look where he was going. He had been to Makoto’s apartment so many times, that he knew the way by heart. He could probably go there in his sleep by now, he was sure.

Some of the passers-by may have assumed that he was a sad young man, given his demeanor. That wasn’t the truth. Haru actually had no reason to be sad. His studying and swimming were going well, although he was still not used to swimming with complete strangers, nor was he used to not seeing his best friend every day. After having Makoto by his side for years, it was not easy for Haru to accept that things had changed.

Still, there was some consolation. Makoto was here. They weren’t swimming together, like before, but they still spent some time with each other. Haru visited Makoto so frequently that he was even given the spare key to his apartment. He usually prepared dinner for the two while Makoto prepared for his classes, and after that he listened to Makoto talk about his day. He loved hearing what his friend had been up to, because it helped him imagine that he had also been there with him.

_It would have been better if we were going to the same university. That way we could at least live together._

That had been their initial idea, but very quickly the two realized that it wouldn’t be possible. Their universities were too far away from one another, so Haru had to accept their current situation.

It wouldn’t be much longer until he saw Makoto again. Haru was just walking by the convenience store where Makoto would buy coffee and an energy bar each morning. He quickened his pace slightly. Just a few more minutes … and he’d be there. He’d listen to him complain about the hard lessons while cooking. He’d soothe him. He’d be by his side.

His lips curled into a smile. It wasn’t common for him, but just the thought of seeing Makoto was enough to make him smile. He hadn’t even noticed it until Nagisa pointed it out to him. He often called to check up on him and Makoto, and always called them in the evening when Makoto and Haru were together. But one day he called when Haru was alone because he wanted to discuss a present he planned on buying for Makoto. Haru gave him a few ideas and was just about to hang up when Nagisa spoke again.

“Nee, Haru-chan, why are you sad?”

The question caught Haru off guard and he couldn’t hide it from his friend.

“Why do you think I’m sad?”

“Well … usually when I talk with you, you have a smile in your voice. Now it’s gone.”

Haru didn’t know how to respond to that and for about a minute, the two didn’t talk. Just when the silence was getting unbearable and he started wondering if he should hang up, Nagisa spoke up again.

“Ah! Is it possible you’re not smiling because Mako-chan is not with you now?”

“What does Makoto have to do with it?” He blurted out, feeling his neck growing warmer.

“Weeeell … Haru-chan, you’ve always been with Mako-chan. It’s like you two were one. Maybe now you’re sad because it feels weird not to have him around so much?”

“Maybe.”

Haru couldn’t understand why this revelation was so surprising to him. It did feel strange to him not to have Makoto around. It was true that they were still as close as ever, but … it felt different. Now Makoto was going to another school and was meeting people that Haru didn’t know. This bothered him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt that if this continued, he could lose Makoto for good.

He tossed his head and frowned. That was stupid, of course! Makoto would never leave him behind.

He was almost at the front door. He had to calm down before going inside, otherwise Makoto would know something was wrong with him. He could always tell what was in his heart, sometimes even before Haru realized it. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He had to calm down.

He could hear Makoto’s voice. The apartments in the building were made for college students, with low rent, therefore the walls were quite thin. Makoto was probably talking on the phone, he thought but then he heard a second voice. This made him freeze in one place.

A female voice?

He frowned. Why was a female voice coming out of Makoto’s apartment? He wasn’t close to any girl; his innate shyness didn’t allow him to talk with girls as freely as he did with guys. The only exceptions to that were Gou and … _her_.

He flinched as if an icy hand had touched his back. He opened the door quickly and stepped inside; he was moving as if he were in a daze.

“Haru!” Makoto greeted him with a smile. He didn’t look nervous or annoyed by his sudden arrival. He turned to the girl that was sitting on the sofa next to him. “You remember Haru, right, Yukiko?”

Haru clenched his hands into fists. He should have known that _she_ would appear sooner or later.

The girl was looking at him and smiling. She was short, but with a nice face and figure, he noticed with displeasure. Her hair was dyed in a dark maroon color that suited her.

“Of course that I remember him.” She giggled in a very annoying way. “So you two are still inseparable, hm?” Her smile grew. “I also see that Haru-kun hasn’t changed. He’s still scowling infernally.”

Her seemingly joking comment made Haru tighten his lips. He felt as if a hot wave had just swept through his chest. She … she dared mock him in front of Makoto?! He looked at his friend to see his reaction.

Makoto was still smiling.

“Yukiko, this isn’t true. Haru isn’t scary.” He laughed softly. In response, the girl just raised an eyebrow.

Haru felt that he was shaking. He had never met anyone else that could throw him off balance like that. Her smile, her pose, her voice … everything in Yukiko rubbed him the wrong way. What irked him most was the way she was looking at Makoto and how she kept touching his arm or his leg while talking to him.

_Why does he let her do that?_

He didn’t like it. He didn’t like that Yukiko was here in this moment and that she was sitting close to Makoto. She was closer to him than he was. It didn’t seem right.

“Haru.” Makoto stood up. “Yukiko and I are going to go see a movie. Do you want to come too?”

“I …”

“Oh, I don’t think Haru-kun would enjoy it.” Yukiko interjected, smiling again. She stood up and for a moment Haru’s heart leaped when he thought she was reaching to hug Makoto. But instead, she just took a light yellow jacket from a chair and put it on. “The movie we’re gonna watch takes place in a desert. I don’t think Haru-kun would be interested in a movie with no water.”

Haru frowned at her. He couldn’t believe how she treated him. As for Makoto … he was acting very strange now. He kept away from Haru and it seemed like he was avoiding looking at him. His distant behavior upset him even more.

“I can’t come … I have something else to do.” Haru mumbled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Makoto.”

“Oh … alright, Haru.”

This time Makoto looked directly at him and gave him a smile. This somewhat relieved some of the weight that had accumulated in his stomach. Still, Haru knew he would feel better if he got away from Yukiko as soon as possible. Without saying another word, he turned around and left.


	2. Reminiscence And Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short, but I hope you like it anyway. Also, I noticed that for some reason, some sentences appear without spaces ... weird, I've never had this happen to my other stories on here, so I'm not really sure why that's happening ...  
> Anyway, I hope you like this short thing! Please leave a comment, I'd love some feedback!

It was evening and Haru was alone in his apartment. He was in the living room, sitting on the floor by the couch. He could easily get up and sit in a much more comfortable place, but he preferred the floor. It seemed right.

_Yukiko …_

Just thinking of her name made him shake again. He thought he didn’t need to worry about her anymore. Makoto hadn’t mentioned her in more than a year and Haru had thought that they weren’t in touch anymore. He had been wrong, apparently.

_How did she find out he’s in Tokyo? Did Makoto tell her?_

Haru sighed and closed his eyes. If he let his mind wander, he’d be brought back to _that_ day. He could already hear the distant sound of water splashing and the soft patter of bare feet by the pool …

_~“_ _Last_ _place_ _…”_ _Makoto_ _mumbled_ _._ _His voice was shaking slightly and he looked like he was about to cry at any moment._

_“Makoto, you don’t swim well because you’re nervous.” Haru told him. He didn’t like seeing his best friend so upset. Makoto’s tears were the only water he didn’t like._

**_He’s actually swimming badly because he’s still afraid._ **

_He and Makoto had joined the swim club not long ago and while Haru felt perfectly comfortable in the pool, it wasn’t as easy for Makoto. Still, he was bravely trying to hide his anxiety from his friend. Not that his acting had managed to fool Haru. However, Haru never said anything about it, because he was aware that knowing the truth would just make Makoto even more nervous._

_“What you need to do i-” He started, but was interrupted._

_“_ _Mako_ _-_ _chan_ _!”_ _A_ _girl_ _ran_ _to_ _them_ _._ _She was a small, breathless creature with chestnut pigtails. “I saw you swimming. You were really good!”_

_Makoto smiled bashfully, but it was clear that the compliment made him feel better. Blushing, he looked down and started fidgeting with his goggles._

_“I didn’t do that well … I’m in last place.”_

_“But you really did swim well!” The girl insisted. Haru frowned – what did she know about water and swimming? “If you just practice a little, you’ll become very good! I know it!”_

_“_ _He_ _’_ _s_ _already_ _practicing_ _.”_ _Haru_ _spoke_ _before_ _Makoto_ _could_ _reply. The_ _girl_ _looked_ _at_ _him_ _surprised_ _._ _Then_ _she_ _wrinkled_ _her_ _little_ _nose_ _slightly_ _._ _She didn’t know who he was, Haru realized, but he didn’t know why this bothered him so much._

_“Oh! Haru, this is Yukiko.” Makoto explained, as if merely mentioning her name would make Haru understand who she was. “Her parents are friends with my parents and they come visit us often …”_

_Haru stood in silence as he listened to Makoto’s chattering. Apparently, Yukiko and Makoto had known each other since they were toddlers. Their fathers were roommates in college and they still kept in close touch. Yukiko and her parents often visited the Tachibanas and the two families had even gone on a few camping trips together._

_“_ _I_ _see_ _…”_ _Haru_ _said_ _when_ _Makoto_ _was_ _finished_ _._ _He didn’t know which upset him more – the fact that he didn’t know anything about this girl, or that Makoto had another friend._

_He looked at Yukiko. She was skinny and shorter than him. She looked completely plain, he decided, and he wondered how old she was._

_When she noticed him looking at her, she gave him a friendly smile. Haru didn’t like the way her eyes squinted when she did that. He also noticed that she had lost some of her baby teeth. He wondered if Makoto had also noticed the gaping holes in her mouth._

_“Mako-chan, come on! Your mom and dad are taking us to eat cake!”_

_“Oh, right.” Makoto laughed and then turned to Haru. “Do you want to come too, Haru-chan?”_

_“I … have something else to do.” Haru muttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Makoto.” He said before heading to the changing rooms.~_

He had met her a few other times after that, but Haru could remember only their first meeting so vividly. The memory still left a bitter taste in his mouth and a sharp pain in his stomach. He had done the same thing today too, he thought gloomily. He had run away, because he couldn’t stand to watch Yukiko fawn on Makoto.

_How did she know Makoto is here?_

Her parents knew Makoto’s, he reminded himself. She must have learned that from them. It made much more sense than Makoto telling her himself.

_There’s no way Makoto likes having her around._

She was … well … she was a _girl_! Back in elementary school, Haru was ready to accept that one day, Makoto would meet a girl and marry her, but now he knew better. He now knew that there was no one better for Makoto than him. He knew and understood Makoto best, he was the one who was always by his side. And yet …

_Yet how did she know where he lives?_

Haru groaned and closed his eyes, resting his head on the couch’s armrest. He hates this … this doubt, that Makoto may actually have someone who was as close to him as Haru was.

_Makoto is enough for me … am I not enough for him?_

Of course, there were Nagisa, Rei, and the others … but they didn’t count. Not in _that_. In _that_ there were only Haru and Makoto, always together. Haru had always assumed that this was how things would always be. Had he been wrong?

He could see her … she was smiling and touching Makoto, talking to him. He clenched his fists and bit his lower lip. No … she wasn’t taking Makoto away from him. Makoto was _his_.


	3. Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's the new chapter! Some reviews would be nice! <3

The next few days were unbearable for Haru. Not wanting to meet Yukiko again, he had avoided any direct contact with Makoto, limiting himself to just a few text messages. He wasn’t used to staying so far away from his friend and the forced isolation bothered him immensely.

The odd thing was that Makoto seemed to be avoiding him too. Usually, when he alienated himself from everyone, Makoto would always call him or visit him, just to check if everything was alright. Now, however, Haru hadn’t heard anything from his friend. This also bothered him.

After about a week of silence, Haru realized that he couldn’t take it any longer. He had to hear Makoto’s voice, at least.

He couldn’t even wait until he got home to do that. The second his coach dismissed them, he took his phone from his locker and dialed Makoto’s number. He didn’t need to wait long before his friend answered. Haru flinched when he heard Makoto’s voice. He sounded so happy … was it because Haru had called him? He wanted to believe that.

“Makoto …” He muttered and felt the corners of his lip tug upwards.

“How are you doing, Haru? It’s been a while, huh?” Makoto laughed but it sounded slightly forced. It seemed like he had also noticed how long they hadn’t talked to each other.

“Mhm …” Haru nodded. He wondered if Makoto also felt how awkward this conversation was. “I just finished practice.”

“Oh, really? You guys have finished pretty early today, huh?” This time his laughter was more genuine. “So, Haru … you want to meet up?” He asked. “You can come to my place and we can play some video games. We haven’t done that in a while.”

“…”

Haru was ready to accept the invitation, but then something stopped him. He fell silent, wondering why the thought of seeing Makoto so soon didn’t appeal to him so much. It made no sense, he _wanted_ to see Makoto.

“Um … Haru?” Makoto spoke up after a while.

Haru didn’t reply. He kept on racking his brain in an effort to understand. And then it dawned on him.

The issue was _her_. Yukiko knew where Makoto lived and if she had appeared there once uninvited, then she could do it again. Haru didn’t want her intruding on his time with Makoto again, especially now that he was seeing his friend for the first time in a week.

“Haru?”

“Makoto. Come to my home.”

“Eh? Oh … okay …”

It was good that Makoto knew Haru well enough not to ask any questions, even when he was confused or curious.

“I’ll come by soon, okay?”

“Alright. I’ll be home soon too.” Haru replied and hung up.

He got dressed quickly and after stuffing his belongings in his sports bag, he ran to the station. He was aware that running to his apartment would not make Makoto arrive sooner, but he was still too excited to walk normally.

He had just stepped into his small apartment and was taking some fish out of the freezer when Makoto arrived. He knocked on the door politely, but he didn’t wait for Haru to call out before entering. Haru peeked out of the kitchen and saw that Makoto had just bent down to take off his shoes. He stared at Makoto’s broad back. He remembered Rin telling him once that he was jealous of Makoto’s large physique. He didn’t understand that. He had never wanted to have a body like Makoto. Makoto was the rock that Haru leaned on, so it was essential that he was the bigger one.

“Haru.” Makoto smiled when he saw him. “Are you cooking mackerel?”

“Salmon.” Haru replied. “Ah … they were out of mackerel at the store …” That was because Haru had bought out all of the mackerel they had in stock. He was hoping that Makoto wouldn’t get the idea to check his freezer.

“Salmon, huh? Sounds tasty.” Makoto chuckled. “You need some help?”

“No.” As much as he wanted to do at least _one_ thing together with Makoto, Haru knew that cooking was not his friend’s forte. Makoto also seemed glad that he didn’t need to cook. “I’ll be done in 30 minutes.”

“Alright.” Makoto smiled. He leaned down again and took a plastic bag from the floor. “I got us some drinks from the convenience store. Maybe we should put them in the fridge?”

Haru nodded. He took the bag from Makoto and then went back into the kitchen.

After about half an hour, the two were sitting on the sofa with plates in hand. Haru had turned the TV on and they were watching some show that Makoto enjoyed. He had got into it soon after the two moved to Tokyo. Haru had tried watching it a couple of times but had found the plot too heavy and boring for his taste.

“Oh, look, Haru, this is my favorite character.” Makoto pointed at the TV with his chopsticks. A girl with short wavy hair had appeared on the screen. Haru thought she looked very bossy. “Her name is Hanna and she’s really smart and ambitious. She wants to take over her grandfather’s company.”

“Mm …”

Haru’s flat tone suggested that he was completely uninterested in the motivations of a fictional character, but Makoto kept talking with a carefree smile.

“Yukiko laughed a lot when I told her that Hanna reminds me of her.” He sighed. “Now she keeps teasing me that I watch soap operas.”

Haru tensed when _her_ name was spoken. He wondered why Makoto had suddenly decided to mention her.

“Is Yukiko also ambitious?” He asked, trying to sound casual. This did not sound like a positive trait.

“I guess you can say that. She definitely has goals and is working hard to achieve them.” Makoto nodded. “Only her dream is to dance. She’s been practicing ballet for years now.”

This explained the girl’s fit body and her habit of wearing her hair in a bun, Haru thought. He frowned slightly while Makoto continued his monologue.

“It’s really amazing. I don’t know much about dancing, but even I can see that she has talent. I once watched her perform and she was just wonderful. She was dressed like some fairy and looked just like one when she danced. So delicate and graceful.” He flinched when he heard something crack. “Ah! What …” Just then he noticed the broken chopstick in Haru’s hand. “Haru! How did this happen? Are you alright? You didn’t get a splinter, did you?”

“I’m fine.” Haru said quietly. “I … have another pair...”

He stood up and went to the kitchen. He put his plate down and leaned on the counter. His hands were still shaking so he had to grab the edge of the counter. He bit his lower lip.

It was stupid of him to think that it was going to be just him and Makoto. Even when she physically wasn’t there, Yukiko’s presence could still be felt. She hung, like some ghost, between the two: an invisible obstacle that kept Makoto away from Haru.

What hurt even more was how easily Makoto had mentioned her in their conversation. That had never happened before; Haru didn’t remember Makoto ever talking about Yukiko so much.

_Makoto … did something happen between them?_

“Haru?”

He turned around to see Makoto standing in the doorway, holding his empty plate. He looked worried.

“Haru … is everything alright?”

Haru just nodded. He didn’t want to risk talking, he didn’t trust his own voice right now.

“Are you sure? You look pale …”

Makoto stepped forward and reached out to feel his forehead. Haru quickly grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.

“Makoto … get out.” He whispered. “I … leave. Please.”

Makoto looked like he wanted to argue for a moment. Then he just nodded. He put his plate down on the counter, next to Haru’s, and then he smiled at his friend.

“Alright, Haru. I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?”

Haru nodded again. He didn’t say anything while he watched Makoto put his jacket and shoes on. Then, after giving Haru another sad smile, Makoto left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always felt like Makoto was the type to watch soap operas. :D Maybe he wouldn't be a fan on the genre, but if he watches one episode he'd get hooked. :D


	4. Silence and Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long with this, I was busy with other stuff.
> 
> Please leave a comment!

It should be raining, Haru thought absently. He was sitting on the windowsill, looking down at the street. The day was sunny and quite warm, which clashed starkly with the turmoil in Haru’s soul. He thought that it was unfair for the day to be so bright.

He turned to give his phone an unhappy stare. It was on the table, silent as it had been the whole day. While some part of Haru was aware that it was not his phone’s fault, he still felt better for blaming the small device. Surely it _had_ to be technology’s fault that Makoto hadn’t called him!

His friend’s silence bothered him so much that his stomach had started aching terribly. There was also an oddly hollow feeling in his chest, as if Haru had just failed at something important. He pondered a few times about calling Makoto, but he didn’t know what to tell him if he did so. He thought about apologizing, but he wasn’t sure that he needed to. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he was sure … and Makoto didn’t seem upset with him the previous day.

_But if he isn’t mad at me, then why isn’t he calling?_

Makoto had _promised_ that he’d call him. Haru was utterly confused about how to proceed. If the issue was about something else, he would have had Makoto by his side to advise him. But now Haru had to find a solution to his dilemma on his own. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded …

He wondered if Makoto was feeling as lonely as he was. Unlike him, Makoto he had other friends – people from his university, neighbors, _her_ – but Haru knew that his friend also suffered when they were separated. He had learned that during their last year in Iwatobi High.

Maybe he _should_ call? Just to make sure that everything was fine.

He reached for the phone, but then stopped. He wanted to hear Makoto’s voice so badly, and yet … If Makoto started talking about _her_ again, Haru would probably snap. Every time her name came out of Makoto’s mouth, Haru felt a burning pain in his stomach. He couldn’t believe that Makoto was able to hurt him so much.

_He_ _doesn_ _’_ _t_ _know_ _…_ _SHE_ _is_ _the_ _one_ _doing_ _this_ _._ _Makoto would never hurt me._

Haru decided to visit him the next day.

Makoto was surprised, but happy to see him. As they talked about menial things, Haru watched him closely. Makoto had a carefree smile on his face – it seemed like the events from two days ago had not left any lasting damage. Haru was relieved to find that out. He even allowed himself to smile while he listened to Makoto complaining about the unjust low grade he got on a paper.

Until he looked down.

The coffee table was an old and quite ugly piece of furniture. It had been in the apartment since before Makoto moved in. Its surface was a thick glass sheet, framed with some dark wood. Makoto had managed to drop something on it during his first week of living in the apartment and now the glass was cracked in one place. There were two tickets lying on the table and Haru could clearly read that they were for some ballet performance. He could easily guess how they had appeared here.

Makoto saw what he was looking at and laughed a bit forcedly.

“Ah … this …” He took the tickets. “Yukiko gave them to me. There’s a ballet recital next month and she’s in the lead role. She invited me to go … and you too, Haru.”

“Hmm …”

Haru narrowed his eyes slightly. He was well aware that Yukiko had had no intention of inviting him and would never do that voluntarily. She’d probably wanted to invite just Makoto but then Makoto had insisted on bringing Haru with him. This girl obviously knew very little about Makoto, otherwise she should have known that he and Haru were always together.

How did she expect to become his girlfriend when she knew so little about him?!

“Do you want to come, Haru?” Makoto asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

“I don’t know … yet …” Haru mumbled. “Makoto … do you like ballet?”

Makoto was silent for a few seconds - he seemed surprised by the question.

“I don’t think so.” He eventually said. “I think … It looks very pretty and the dancers are so graceful. But it’s not something that I’d enjoy watching, I think. I guess it’s too sophisticated for someone like me.” He ended the sentence with a chuckle.

“Just because you don’t like it doesn’t make you less sophisticated.”

Makoto looked at his friend surprised, but then he smiled.

“Thank you, Haru.”

* * *

After that visit their relationship was restored to usual. Haru started visiting Makoto at his home daily again. To his delight, Makoto mentioned Yukiko only once, informing him that all her time was spent rehearsing. Haru was glad to hear that – if she didn’t have any free time, then he could have Makoto all to himself.

The ballet performance was fast approaching. Haru still hadn’t given Makoto a firm answer on whether or not he’d go, but it didn’t seem to matter. Makoto must have forgotten about it, because he wasn’t saying anything about it. It seemed like he wasn’t that keen on attending the ballet himself and Haru suspected that he’d probably end up telling Yukiko that he wouldn’t be able to make it.

_She doesn’t know anything about him! She should have invited him somewhere where Makoto actually enjoys going. But I guess it’s better that she didn’t …_

Haru liked to think that Yukiko didn’t understand Makoto at all.

A week before the day of the performance Haru’s schedule had become so packed that he completely forgot, albeit for a very short time, about Yukiko. His coach had become merciless after two swimmers were expelled from the team. There was a rumor that there were drugs involved, but Haru didn’t know much about that since he didn’t care about gossip.

One day he miraculously had some free time before swimming practice began. Not enough to see Makoto, sadly, so Haru just wandered on the streets around the university. He was looking up at the sky, tracing a bird’s flight, when he heard his name being shouted. He stopped and turned around.

Yukiko was hurrying towards him.

His stomach tightened painfully. Why _her_ again? He hadn’t seen her in almost a month and he wanted things to continue the same way. And without Makoto around, he had no idea what to do with this girl. Makoto had always been a sort of a buffer between the two. This was the first time when it was actually just the two of them and Haru couldn’t help but think that it didn’t feel right.

“I knew that it was you!” Yukiko announced, smiling broadly. “You know, it’s very odd seeing you without Makoto. It’s like seeing Achilles without his Patroclus. Although … that’s not a very good comparison, given what happened with them …” She added thoughtfully.

Haru wasn’t sure what she meant with that, so he remained silent.

“Anyway …” The girl smiled again. “You don’t have practice? Makoto told me that you swim every day.”

“Soon.” Haru replied stiffly. He wondered why Yukiko and Makoto had talked about him.

“Well, if you’re not busy, we can hang out a bit? I have rehearsal in half an hour, so I’ve time.”

Haru frowned. He would have given anything – except Makoto! – to be able to just turn around and flee. But that wasn’t possible; if he did that, Makoto would surely find out and then a lot of things that Haru knew should remain hidden would come out. So he just nodded stiffly.

“Wonderful!” The girl clapped her hands. She obviously hadn’t noticed his hesitation. “I’ve really wanted to talk with you for a while now. Makoto will kill me if he finds out – actually, I don’t think he will, he’s not that type of person – but nevertheless, I want to.”

Haru wasn’t sure how to reply to that, but he felt a familiar tightening in his stomach. What did she want to talk about? That phrase never meant anything good. He silently allowed to be taken to some café and didn’t even protest when Yukiko ordered two cups of coffee. He kept watching her, studying the girl as if she were some oddity of nature. This was the first time he actually looked at Yukiko properly.

A perfectly plain girl, he decided. Her figure wasn’t half bad, due to her dancing background, and the tight clothes she liked wearing emphasized that fact. Her face was ordinary, neither pretty nor unattractive, but Haru did notice that she was apparently very skilled at applying make-up. He wondered why she had put on make-up just for some ballet rehearsal. Her hair was tied up in a bun, like usual.

She was just a perfectly plain girl. And yet …

_Maybe this is what Makoto likes?_


	5. Exposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally had time to update this story! The chapter is not that good, but I spent the past few weeks studying for my exams and after reading 150 pages about the human brain a couple of times, I don't really feel much like writing romance. Anyway, this story was supposed to have only 5 chapters, but this one would have ended up too long compared to the others, so I've decided to write an extra 6th one.
> 
> Enjoy and comment, please!

Yukiko poured a generous amount of milk into her cup of coffee and started stirring it with a spoon. She took a small sip and then looked at Haru with a smile. She seemed to be waiting for Haru to say something, but after a few minutes passed in tense, awkward silence, she put her cup down and giggled.

“Are you that silent with Makoto too?” She asked, looking quite amused.

Haru didn’t reply. If he wanted to, he could have told the girl that he and Makoto didn’t need words to understand each other and be connected, but he had no desire to do so. Yukiko had no business knowing such intimate details of their friendship.

After a few more minutes passed in silence, Yukiko chuckled softly.

“Well, Makoto hasn’t complained about that to me, so I guess it’s okay either way.” She said, shaking her head. “There’s a passenger for every train, as they say. And yet … can you at speak just once, and tell me if you’re silent because you don’t like talking in general, or because you don’t like _me_?”

“I don’t like you.”

Haru knew that it was quite rude to admit something like that, but he immediately grasped the opportunity to let Yukiko know exactly how he felt about her. As the words came out of his mouth, he felt immensely relieved.

Yukiko, on the other hand, didn’t seem that surprised or upset. She nodded sagely to herself and took another sip of coffee.

“I thought so. Can’t say that I’m too joyful about it though – I like being liked.” She took another sip before continuing. “Look, Makoto and I are very close and I think that he’d be miserable if you and I didn’t get along.”

Haru didn’t doubt that, but the thought that he could ever _tolerate_ the girl that wanted to take his Makoto away was so unpleasant and unbelievable that Haru was more willing to give up swimming for good than do that. He shifted guiltily and remained silent.

“Look.” Yukiko started, apparently tired of waiting for him to reply. She was talking slowly and clearly. “I suppose that if I were in your shoes, I’d be feeling the same. But I want you to understand that I’m not your enemy.”

Haru needed a bit of time to assimilate what had been said. He managed to respond in the dumbest way possible.

“Huh?”

“I like Makoto and I want him to be happy. And because I know that you want the same, I support you.” She kept talking, not paying attention to his surprise. “What happened between Makoto and me was a long time ago and-”

“What happened?” Haru interrupted her. This was the first time he heard anything about something actually happening between Makoto and Yukiko.

“Ah? You didn’t know?” She looked at him with a gaping mouth. “I thought Makoto told you. I’m not sure I should say anything … What if I make things worse?”

“What happened?” He repeated with a louder voice.

“Oh … I’m almost certain that Makoto wouldn’t be happy …” She groaned. “Makoto and I kissed. It was my first time and I’m pretty sure it was the same for him.” She noticed Haru’s stiff expression and waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t get so tense! That was three years ago, if not more. Makoto had just started gaining some muscles and that summer I just had the biggest crush on him. He definitely wasn’t feeling the same way, but he was too gallant to say no to me.” She leaned on the table. “Don’t worry about that.”

He frowned at Yukiko. The image of her kissing Makoto had inevitably come up in his mind, but his burning jealousy was somewhat clouded by his confusion. He couldn’t understand why she kept repeating that he shouldn’t worry after she had confessed that there _had_ been some romance between her and Makoto. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Yukiko started talking again.

“Wait …” She frowned slightly. “If you didn’t know about that, why don’t you like me?”

Haru hesitated for a second.

“It’s because … you’re always with Makoto …” He finally said. Now that he had said it out loud, it did sound like something very petty to be jealous over. Yukiko seemed to think so too.

“Excuse me?” She smiled. “I’ve seen Makoto only three or four times since he moved to Tokyo and for a very short time only. Don’t worry, I swear to you that I’m doing nothing to mess with your relationship.”

Haru jumped in his seat, crashing his knee into the table. At the impact, his untouched cup of coffee flipped over and the liquid spread on the surface. The pastel colored spread was tainted quickly.

“Oh!” Yukiko moved away quickly. “Sorry! I should have warned you beforehand, shouldn’t I?”

“Warned me about what?”

“That I know.”

“Know _what_?” He was starting to get quite annoyed at the vague way she talked.

“That you and Makoto are a couple.”

Haru stared at her dumbfounded. He knew that he sometimes didn’t grasp socializing as quickly as others, but he was absolutely certain that he and Makoto didn’t have a relationship, regardless of their closeness. He stirred in his chair, wondering if Yukiko was trying to trick him somehow. But the girl was looking at him with such innocent eyes that he had to dismiss that thought.

How had she got it in her head that he and Makoto were dating?!

“Makoto and I aren’t together.” He was surprised how much it hurt him to admit such a thing.

Now it was Yukiko’s turn to stare at him. Her already huge eyes became even bigger and her jaw hung low. She didn’t look so pretty like that, but Haru found that her current condition much more enjoyable than her usual chatty mood.

“You’re not together?” She squeaked. “But Makoto promised me …” She slapped her hand on the table, looking very irritated. “Well, _now_ he’s in trouble!”

“ _Promised_?” Haru asked quickly. “What do you mean?”

“…” Yukiko hesitated. “Look, this would be best if you heard it from Makoto, but apparently, he can’t say it for some reason …”

Her voice trailed off. She was still frowning, but now she looked more concerned than annoyed. Meanwhile Haru was trying to put together all the things he had learned. The conclusion they led to seemed too good to be true.

“Makoto … likes me?” He mumbled hesitantly.

“Yeah.” Yukiko said, rolling her eyes. “I hate that I have to be the one confessing to you for Makoto, but since he can’t do it, I guess I have to be the one to make things happen!” She sighed dramatically. “So yes, he likes you. A lot. And for a long time, too, but he can’t say anything to you. Can you imagine someone so large being so shy? Weird …” She shook her head. “I did so much to encourage him to confess to you, but the guy’s pretty stubborn. I finally convinced him and he _promised_ me that he would tell you how he feels. You should have been together for a few weeks now!”

“I …”

Haru had the feeling that his head would blow up from everything Yukiko was telling him. Everything that he thought he knew had been just his imagination? Makoto actually liked him and Yukiko … knew? And was okay with that, apparently. He groaned quietly and pinched the skin between his eyebrows. He needed to put all his thoughts in order.

“You … you and Makoto …” He muttered. “Do you still … like him?”

Yukiko laughed and shook her head.

“No. I admit, I did have a _tiny_ crush on him, but Makoto is not my type. I’m into … ahhh … _bolder_ guys.”

Haru bristled. How dared she?! Makoto was a billion times better than any other man in the world.

“Makoto is bold!” He said, trying to ignore how childish he sounded. “He’s ready to give up everything for the people he cares about.”

It was odd, he mused. He didn’t want Yukiko to be attracted to Makoto, but he wanted her to be aware of just how amazing he was.

In response to his words, the girl giggled.

“I’m glad to see you like him this much.” She said. “I was kinda worried at first, because you always look so grumpy, I thought that you didn’t like him. I was worried you might hurt the poor giant guy. I’m happy that’s not the case.”

“Of course that I like him.” Haru snapped, somehow feeling that he had to make it clear. When Yukiko just laughed at him, he flushed. “Why are you getting involved in this?” It seemed awfully rude and intrusive of the girl to go out of her way to reveal all of Makoto’s secrets to him.

“I know that it looks like I’m a terrible nuisance, and I probably am.” Yukiko admitted. “But you have to admit that if I hadn’t spilled the beans, you’d never know how Makoto felt about you.” Haru knew that she was right, much to his annoyance. “If you like him so much, then why didn’t you say something to him? I feel like you at least shouldn’t have had any problems confessing to him.”

Haru looked down in shame. Now that he knew the truth, he realized what a coward he had been before.

“I … I didn’t know how he felt about me.” He explained. “I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.” He frowned and continued, talking more to himself than to the girl. “I thought Makoto and I understood each other … Makoto can always tell what I’m thinking about …”

“Oh, I think you still understand each other pretty well.” Yukiko smiled. “It’s just that … well, I think that you both subconsciously ignored the truth because it seemed too good to be true.” She raised her cup only to put it back down when she discovered it was empty. She clicked her tongue and then continued. “That’s actually a real thing. It’s called cherophobia, if I remember correctly. People avoid positive feelings because they fear that something bad might happen to them.”

Haru had already stopped listening to her. Looking bad, he realized that there were so many hints that Makoto liked him. How could he have been so blind and … _dense_?! He groaned again and chewed his lower lip.

“I think I need to go …” He mumbled. “I want to see Makoto.”

“Alright, I understand.” She nodded, smiling at him. “And … I hope we can be friends now.”

“Um … maybe.” He said cautiously. Yukiko may have helped him out today, but her personality still irked him. “Thank you … for … you know …”

“I know.” She smiled. “But please learn to express your feelings like a mature person, ok?”

“I probably won’t …” He stood up and put some money on the table. “I’ll … I’ll pay for your coffee too.”

“What a gentleman.”

Her slightly sarcastic tone infuriated him, but he remained silent. He needed to be somewhere else now, so he had to put off arguing with this girl for another time. He needed to speak with Makoto first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I've started a Sousuke/Nagisa AU fic, if you're interested, I could post it here when I have the time.


	6. Tears and Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Haru have a long overdue talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally managed to write the final chapter. Fair warning, Makoto and Haru may be a bit OOC, but I think it turned out fine. The pacing and wording are deliberately messy, because I think that shows just how inadequate Haru is at dealing with his feelings.
> 
> Also in the first half of the chapter, 80% of Makoto's lines are just Haru's name, lol!

"Eh? Haru...?"

Apparently Makoto had arrived in his apartment mere moments before Haru burst in. He stood in front of Haru, still with his jacket on and holding a plastic bag in hand. Seeing his startled face, Haru felt a twinge of guilt for acting so erratic. Figuring that it would be better to explain why he was there, he took a step forward and opened his mouth, but closed it without having uttered a single word. He wasn't sure how to start.

Why was it so hard to confess his feelings?! Haru bit his lower lip and clenched his hands into fists. He loved Makoto, he was sure of that with all his heart. He'd admitted it to Yukiko easily enough, but for some reason, it was hard to do the same thing now. What was stopping him from revealing how he felt to Makoto - the only person who mattered and who had to hear his confession? The whole situation was senseless and horrible.

What was standing in his way?

Makoto ought to have realized what was going on. Makoto always knew what Haru was thinking. Always! And Haru didn't mind this intrusion into his soul. It wasn't a bad thing when it was Makoto who was doing it.

But if he could understand Haru so perfectly well ... then why was Makoto looking at him with confused eyes? Didn't he understand anything?

Fear rippled through him. What if Yukiko had lied to him? What if ... this was all a trick she was playing on him? They weren't friends, after all, even with their earlier conversation. Yukiko could have easily deceived him so that he would embarrass himself in front of Makoto. What was worse - her plan could have been for Haru's confession to push Makoto away ... so that he and Haru would not be friends anymore.

That was what was going on, wasn't it? There was a lump in his throat and his palms hurt - without noticing, he'd dug his fingernails into his skin. It was unfair of Yukiko, he thought, to lie to him like that. Haru had always known that Makoto didn't have any feelings for him, but he could at least find solace in their friendship. It was cruel that the girl was trying to take even this little joy away from him.

"Haru?" Makoto sounded confused.

"..."

Makoto kept looking at him, expecting Haru to say something. What should he do? If he just turned away and ran, Makoto would surely chase after him. Ot would he? Haru would have liked that to be true. He wanted to believe that Makoto cared enough about him to do something so desperate and dramatic.

He was shaking. His eyes stung and the lump in his throat seemed to have grown. It was probably from all that dust in the air ... Makoto wasn't good with housework and usually forgot to do it. Haru often had to help him clean his place up. Makoto had probably neglected his chores again and now his apartment was all dusty. That was why Haru's eyes were so irritated.

It wasn't until Makoto called his name out that Haru realized he was crying.

He touched his cheek and then looked at his hand. Those were tears. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. The sight of his soaked fingers gave him a nasty shock. He started shaking even more and his breathing became labored. A few whimpers escaped his throat and he pressed his lips tightly together.

"Haru!"

Makoto had become pale with worry. Putting the groceries down, he stepped forward and took Haru by the wrist. Haru reflexively tried to pry his hand away, but Makoto was stronger. He pulled him in for a tight hug and for a moment, Haru allowed himself to relax and enjoy the warmth radiating from his friend's chest. His tears kept rolling down his cheeks, soaking into Makoto's shirt.

"Shhh ..."

Makoto's fingers were threading through his hair. His touch was reluctant, but gentle. He was pressing Haru's face into his chest. He didn't try to stop the tears, instead he just silently offered his friend warmth and safety, waiting for Haru to cry his frustration away.

After some time, Haru's shaking had diminished significantly and his breathing was back to normal. He sniffed loudly, unable to look up. He was too ashamed to meet Makoto's eyes.

"Haru ..." Makoto's gentle voice echoed throughout Haru's body. "Haru, what's going on with you?"

"I'm ... I'm fine ..." He almost choked on his lie. He didn't think Makoto would believe him.

Makoto drew in a breath and Haru felt guilty. He didn't like lying to Makoto - he deserved better. And Makoto's silent disappointment was worse than any other negative reaction he could have had. But before he could say anything else, Makoto spoke up.

"Haru ... I'm worried about you. Please ... if there's something bad going on, tell me. I could help you."

"You can't!" Haru retorted, unwillingly raising his voice. Even though he didn't want to, he pushed Makoto away and turned his back to him. "... I don't want you to hate me ..."

"I don't hate you, Haru." Despite his worrying, Makoto's lips quirked into a smile. He moved closer to Haru and took him by the chin to make Haru look at him. "How can you think something like that?"

Still smiling, he cupped Haru's face and wiped his tears away with his thumbs. The touch left Haru weak. He swallowed and looked down. He'd never felt so exposed and humiliated. All he wanted to do was leave. But with Makoto's hands on his face, his legs refused to move.

"I ... I don't know ... I'm gross." Haru mumbled with a dejected voice.

"You're not!" Makoto exclaimed. "Haru ... Please don't talk like that. It's not nice." He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I suppose you've been upset about me, huh? I ... I know that I haven't been a very good friend recently. But I really thought it was for the best, Haru."

"For the best?" Haru repeated, suddenly feeling weak and exhausted.

"Yeah." Makoto nodded. "I'm sorry. I acted like a fool. I ... I thought you might have thought I was annoying you ... a-and I was scared that ... There were things I wanted to hide ..." He smiled absent-mindedly. "I guess I was wrong to do so, huh?"

"Yeah..." Haru wasn't sure what Makoto was talking about, but he definitely agreed that it was a mistake for Makoto to have avoided him. "Makoto ... so you don't hate me?" He asked. He needed to hear those words one more time.

"No. Of course I don't." He smiled. "I've always ... I mean ... We are friends." He finished awkwardly and blushed.

"Yes ... friends ..." Haru echoed.

"Mhm ..." For some reason, Makoto looked embarrassed by that word. Haru noticed that he was stubbornly avoiding looking him in the eyes.

"What is it, Makoto?"

"N-nothing ..." He sighed and shook his head. "No ... sorry, Hary ... there is ... something. I can't tell you what it is." He was becoming more anxious with every word he uttered.

"Why not?" Haru insisted. Something was stirring in his chest. Could it be possible that ... it was true? Was everything Yukiko had told him the truth? He spoke again, trying to keep his voice stable. "Makoto ... how do you feel about me? Do you ... love me?"

Makoto's eyes bulged. He took a step backwards and hid his face with his hand. Haru still managed to see that his cheeks were burning. He wasn't sure what that meant.

"Haru, I ... w-what?!"

"I ... she told me something like that ..."

"She? Do you mean Yukiko?" Makoto was shocked, but he quickly calmed down. "Oh, I see ... she's decided to take things into her own hands, huh?" He didn't look annoyed in the least; in fact, he even chuckled heartily. "She's always been like that. She does whatever she thinks is right, no matter if it actually involves her or not. She's a little ... bossy in that respect."

"But was it true?" Haru asked, looking Makoto in the eyes. "What she told me ..."

"I ... um ..." His eyes suddenly filled with tears and he turned away. "I'm sorry, Haru. I know that it's gross ... we are friends and we've known each other for so long ... I know that ... I know that it's horrible to be feeling something more ... intense for you. I won't bother you with my feelings. I promise you that everything will remain like be-"

Haru interrupted him by lunging towards Makoto and hugging him tightly. Without paying attention to his friend's flustered state, he pressed his lips against Makoto's.  
He was scared that he'd been way too rash. Makoto's stiff body was shaking so much that Haru was afraid he was going to collapse. He stepped aside and opened his mouth to apologize, but Makoto silenced him with a finger on his lips. His eyes gleamed like emeralds.

"Haru ... " He muttered. "You ... you just ..."

He was too excited to finish his sentence.Taking advantage of this, Haru grabbed his collar and pulled him in for another, this time longer kiss.

* * *

"So, Yukiko talked to you, huh? When?"

It had taken hours for things between Makoto and Haru to finally reach tranquility. Now the two were lying in bed with their arms and legs intertwined. Haru had his head resting on Makoto's chest. He found the rhythm and regularity of his boyfriend's heartbeat quite calming.

"Earlier today." Haru muttered. His eyes were closed. "She thought we were already dating." He added. He'd forgotten about this detail during all the excitement earlier.

"Oh!" Makoto blushed. "Y-yes ... I told her that ..."

"Why?"

"She ... she somehow found out about my f-feelings. Y-you know, about you ... She made me promise that I'd confess to you. And since then she'd been nagging me about it. I ... um ... it wasn't so bad when we were still in high school, but ever since we came to Tokyo ... well, she was here too. S-so ... I ... um ... I deceived her. I told her that we were already together so that she wouldn't ask me about it all the time."

As he listened, Haru was torn between his desire to snap that their relationship was none of the girl's business, and the uncomfortable feeling of gratitude he felt for all the efforts she went through to help them out. He decided it would be best not to say anything.

"A-anyway ... I know that it was wrong to lie like that ..." Makoto's voice was slightly shaking. "I wanted to tell you, I really did. B-but ... I wasn't sure if you were feeling the same way. And I was scared that if you somehow found out and didn't love me ... that you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me anymore."

"I was thinking the same thing." Haru admitted. "I ... I didn't want to risk losing what we already had."

"Yeahhh ... I can understand that." Makoto mumbled. "Haru ... I'm sorry. I feel like a complete fool."

"No ... I was the stupid one." Haru raised his head so that he could look Makoto in the eyes. "I should have realized what was going on. It's just ... every time you were with her, and I was there, you were always so nervous. I thought, at first ... that you might like her ..."

"No!" Makoto flinched. "Yukiko... she's really nice, and good-looking too. But I don't like her that way. She ... well, she scares me a little. She's kinda bossy, y'know ..." He chuckled. "I was nervous because anytime you and Yukiko met, I was scared that she might ask you something about our ... ah ... relationship. And, well ... you both would find out the truth."

"She ... she was right all along." Haru admitted with difficulty. "I should have told you the truth a long time ago. And you too."

"Yeah ..." Makoto sighed. "We lost so much time in secrets."

Haru thought about that. He thought about all the memories he shared with Makoto, both good and bad, and tried to imagine having gone through those experiences with Makoto not only as his friend, but his partner as well.

"Did we though?" He wondered out loud. "I ... don't think that any second I spent with you has been lost, Makoto." He added with a serious voice. "You've always been by my side ... and you will be from now on till forever."

"That's right. I'm right here by your side." Makoto smiled and pulled Haru in for a quick kiss. "Today, tomorrow and always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm so glad to be finally able to check this story off in my unfinished list. :D I hope I didn't piss people off with taking so long with the chapters, I'm terrible at ending stories!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll appreciate it if you left me a comment or two. ;) Also, if you can check out my other stories, that would be nice too. I'm working on the final chapter of my Sousuke/Angel fic next, yay!


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